Three Mines At Huntly Again Idle Today

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 August 1948, Page 4

Three Mines At Huntly Again Idle Today

(P.A.) AUCKLAND, This Day. The three Huntly collieries —Macdonald, Glen Afton and Pukemiro—were idle again today. The miners are still rejecting the union recommendation to resume work. The union executive last night reaffirmed its decision to have the matter referred to the local mining disputes committee. It is understood the executive pointed out that other collieries and open-cast mines were working and that a majority vote of all the miners had favoured settlement by the disputes committee. . , Stop-work meetings, each lasting about an hour, were held this morning at the Rotorwaro, Alison and Renown mines before the men started work. The Wilson mine at Glen Massey and the three open-cast mines- are working normally. The Superintendent of Controlled Mines in Huntly (Mr J. Hughes) declined to comment on the dispute. It is understood that it arose over the payment of two men employed in the Macdonald mine on a special coal-moving job for which payment is outside the provisions of the award. Dissatisfaction was expressed with the rate of pay offered by the management. In an effort to avoid the dispute the management is stated to have undertaken to give the men work at the same rate of pay as was offered at. another place in the mine pending settlement of the claim by the disputes committee. The dispute has arisen because some of the miners will not accept this compromise. Discontent in Waikato mines recently and its expression in stoppages of work has caused a considerable drop in coal output. The Macdonald and Glen Afton mines, which usually produce from 750 to 800 tons a day, have been yielding on the average about 100 tons less. —